Mechanisms which provide spring centering forces along two or more axes of motion are known. The applications for such mechanisms include joy stick control devices, scanning mechanisms, plotting devices, servo control mechanisms and other applications where delineation of centering forces applied to specific axes is desirable. Other applications include multiplanar mounting platforms for dish antennas and the like. Such platforms have linear drive motors that change the position of the platform upon demand. The self centering feature permits the platform to center itself when the linear drive motors are not activated.
Existing types of joy stick control devices include gimbal mountings wherein two mutually perpendicular and intersecting axes of rotation are provided and control levers are generally provided on the axes of rotation. In some mechanisms springs are combined with rotational shafts to provide a centering mechanism. However, whenever shafts are used, bearings are needed to ensure ease of rotation of the shafts and this can be a cause of frictional wear and added complexity in manufacturing.